Long awaited Seine-Nord Europe canal gets go ahead

VNF – the French navigable waterways authority has selected engineering and consulting firms setec and Royal HaskoningDHV to jointly manage the 12 year project to construct provide a canal link extending from France to Belgium. European operator Via Donau of Austria will act as a sub-consultant to the joint venture and support the team with the management and operation of river infrastructure.

The long awaited new Canal Seine-Nord Europe will connect the basin of the Seine near Paris, to the Scheldt, near Lille, giving access to Belgian and Dutch inland waterways networks.

Designed for vessels up to 4,400 tonnes capacity the new canal will eliminate a major bottleneck on the European waterway network and provide links with six seaports to offer an alternative method of transporting freight with access into the heart of large urban areas.